Vaqueros rally to win Regional; Chang is medalist at 4-under 144

Carolin Chang carded a 3-under 71 and Vanessa Watkins shot even-par 74 as SBCC rallied from a seven-shot deficit to capture the Southern Cal Regional women's golf title for the second straight year.

Chang, the defending state individual champion, shot 73 and 71 for a 4-under 144 to earn medalist honors at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills. It was her ninth medalist award this year and 17th in the last two seasons. Watkins took second with rounds of 76 and 74 on the par-74 South and North Course, respectively.

The Vaqueros shot 307 on Tuesday for a 36-hole total of 633 that edged Cuyamaca (319-315--634) by one stroke. Irvine Valley (700) was third and Saddleback was fourth at 716. The top four teams advanced to the State Championships.

SBCC improved to 93-0 on the year with its 14th tourney win of the season and 20th in a row over the last two years.

Savanah Boss was her usual consistent self, shooting 86 and 83 for a 169 that earned her 16th place. Danielle Picard improved her first-round score by 12 strokes with a 79 and finished 17th at 170.

"I'm very proud of my team," said coach Chuck Melendez. "That was a really good response to trailing in a tournament for the first time this year. We were down seven strokes and we talked about just making one more putt. We took that to heart.

"It was a very determined effort, led by Carolin and Vanessa. Danielle played great, shooting 79 with an eagle on the 12th hole after having a tough day on Monday."

The Vaqueros will defend their state title on Sunday and Monday in the 36-hole State Championships at Morro Bay Golf Course.

Southern Cal Regional
1st round at par-74 Los Serranos (South Course)
2nd round at par-74 Los Serranos (North Course)
 Team (top 4 advance to State Finals) -- 1, SBCC 326-307--633. 2, Cuyamaca 319-315--634. 3, Irvine Valley 353-347--700. 4, Saddleback 360-356--716. 5, Desert 366-372--738. 6, Citrus 384-369--753.
 Medalist (par 74) -- 1, Carolin Chang, SBCC, 73-71--144 (4 under). 2, Vanessa Watkins, SBCC, 76-74--150. 3, Li Chi Liu, Desert, 77-75--152.
 SBCC scores -- 1, Chang 73-71--144. 2, Watkins 76-74--150. 16, Savanah Boss 86-83--169. 17, Danielle Picard 91-79--170. Daniela Ruffo 99-92--191. Corina Garcia 98-93--191.
 SBCC overall record -- 93-0 (14th tourney win).